Our Unbreakable Bond
by missglitter22
Summary: 24 year old Rory has returned to Stars Hollow after her grandfather passed away from a sudden heart attack. Despite the sad occurrence, being back home leads to some happy moments: a big announcement from her mother, a reunion, and a big surprise for herself. How will Rory react to everything? A tale of family, love, and the unbreakable mother-daughter bond.
1. A Big Announcement

**One**

 _A Big Announcement_

November rain fell softly as twenty four year old Rory Gilmore walked across the parking lot of Luke's Diner. As she walked, she felt a feeling of warmth spread over her. She was _home._ Relieved to be at her destination after a long flight from London (where she currently worked as a journalist for the paper in her town), she threw open the door and ran into the room. Her mother, Lorelai, was waiting with open arms. "Rory!" she screamed, running toward her daughter. "How are you?" she enveloped her in a hug. "I've missed you so much, babe."

"I've missed you too, mom," Rory replied before dropping her suitcase casually at her feet and sitting on a stool at the counter. I would love to tell you all about my trip so far, but first, I need coffee. Preferably in an IV," she giggled, remembering something her mother had once said.

"Right," Lorelai agreed as she turned toward the coffee pot that was behind the counter. "There's no questioning that you're my daughter, that's for sure," she chuckled as she finished pouring the cup and then handed it to Rory. "So, how was the flight in?"

"Oh, it was okay, I guess. I hoped to get some sleep, since it was a ten hour flight, but the seats weren't very comfortable,"

"I'm sorry, honey. Do you need to go to the house and take a nap?"

"Thanks, but I'll be fine. I might need some more coffee later though," Rory remarked, before adding, "…but I know you've got that covered."

Just as the mother and daughter were sharing a moment of laughter over their mutual love of the hot caffeinated beverage, Luke entered. He walked over to the girls, who were still giggling.

"Sorry I'm late, but I had to take the truck into the shop and then had to wait for a cab."

"Don't worry about it hon," Lorelai answered. "I can pour coffee just as well as you can,"

"So, Rory," Luke started. "It's nice to see you, but I'm truly sorry these circumstances led you into town. Your grandpa was a great man, and I know he loved you a lot,"

"Thank you, Luke. I appreciate that," Rory said gratefully. She turned back to her mother. "How is Grandma doing?"

"About as good as she can for the situation," Lorelai answered honestly. "She's distraught, but making it. You know, I always thought the abundance of maids she had was ridiculous, but they're taking great care of her. Tomorrow night, we're all going over there to have dinner. Grandma wants to see you and she needs help putting together things for the funeral on Saturday,"

"Sounds good," Rory agreed. She stood up from the counter, where Luke was standing. "More coffee, please?" she said, holding her cup out to him.

"And this time to go," Lorelai interjected. "Rory and I are going to go back to the house. I think it's time to give her the special surprise."

"Special surprise?" Rory questioned, watching as Luke poured her coffee and put the to-go lid onto the cup.

"Yep," Lorelai nodded excitedly. "You're going to freak,"

"Alright, whatever you say," Rory quipped before taking the coffee off of the counter. She followed her mother to the car and threw her two suitcases into the back seat.

"So, how's the job going?" Lorelai questioned as she began the fifteen minute drive from Luke's to the home she shared with him.

"It's really busy. Super stressful, so I'm glad I could take a break and come to visit. I've missed this crazy little town," Rory answered. "It's certainly something special. I love my job, but there's no place like Stars Hollow!"

"And this town has missed you!" Lorelai turned the jeep into the driveway. She got out of the car, helped Rory get her suitcases, and the two walked into the house.

Rory flopped onto the couch and Luke and Lorelai's new dog, Java, climbed onto her lap and began licking her. He was a big German Shepard, but had the brain of a tiny lap dog. "Woah, dude… settle down," Lorelai chided, before going up the stairs to Rory's old bedroom (now where guests stayed and Lorelai kept her craft and sewing supplies). She rummaged around in a drawer before retrieving a small gift bag and going back downstairs.

"This is your surprise!" Lorelai remarked excitedly before handing the gift bag to Rory, who took it.

"Mom, what is it?" Rory questioned, looking down at the green tissue paper in the bag.

"Just open it," Lorelai coaxed. You'll see!"

Rory did so and started taking the paper away from the bag. Slowly, she took the items out. At the top, was a small baby's outfit. Rory began to get suspicious, but kept digging. Further down was a pin that read, 'Big Sister', and finally, at the very bottom of the bag, was an ultrasound photo that read, "Congratulations, big sister Rory. Your new brother or sister will be arriving in June. He or she already loves you so much," on the back.

"Mom!"Rory shouted. "You're... "

"Yep," Lorelai answered knowingly. "12 weeks yesterday. We're so happy,"

"Oh my god," Rory gushed, jumping into her mother's lap (cautiously, as not to hurt the baby). "This is the best news ever,"

Lorelai laughed at the sight of her fully grown daughter curled into her lap and then at the thought of having an adult child, but being pregnant again. Her life was certainly something.

"So, who knows?" Rory spoke after being quiet for a few minutes.

"Now that you do, everyone except Grandma. I've been too scared to say anything since I figure she'll accuse me of trying to upstage Grandpa's memory by getting pregnant. I wonder if I could get away with not telling her at all, " Lorelai mused.

"Mom!" Rory groaned. "There's no way you can hide it for nine months. Either someone's going to tell her, or she's going to notice when you start showing a bump or come to a Friday dinner with a baby in your arms, like, 'Surprise! Guess what I did this week!'

"You're right," Lorelai giggled at the thought of spontaneously showing up to her mother's house with a newborn. "I'm just scared of what she will think,"

"Look, Mom." Rory said thoughtfully. "You're not sixteen any more. You're an adult, and you've been married to Luke for almost five years now, always wanting a family with him. She needs to respect that you have your own life and can make your own decisions. I think you should tell her tomorrow when we're all there for dinner. Both Luke and I will be there to back you up and support you. Even if she's not happy, you are, and that's what matters in the end

"Wow, babe." Lorelai gushed, kissing her daughter's head. "How did you get so smart?"

"Well, I learned from the best," Rory grinned. "...and that was you,"


	2. Two: Friday Night Dinner

**Two**

 _Friday Night Dinner_

"Well, this is it, " Lorelai said to Rory and Luke, who were standing on both sides of her. Luke looked confused. "This is **what**? We do this every Friday, and you've been doing it for the past eight years. What makes this time any different?" he questioned.

"We're telling my mother about the baby tonight, Luke!" Lorelai scolded. "I told you that before we left the house!"

"Right," Luke suddenly remembered. He was at first shocked by the cold demeanor of his wife, but then remembered that her doctor had said that the pregnancy hormones might leave her moods a little unbalanced for a while.

Lorelai knocked on the door and waited, and then one of her mother's many maids answered the door. "Hello, welcome. What'll be your business here today?"

"It's Lorelai, her daughter. Please tell her I'm here with her granddaughter and son-in-law for our usual dinner," Lorelai explained.

"Ah yes," the maid remarked. "She's expecting you, I'll tell her you've arrived," she said, opening the door. Lorelai thanked her, and the group entered. Emily was upstairs, but started walking down when she saw her family come in. "Hello everyone," she greeted. "You can go to the dining room, plates are being set out. I'll be there in a minute,"

The family did as they were told. Upon entering into the dining room, they noted the always-fancy china dish sets being placed out. For as long as Lorelai grew up in this house of opulence (which was for 16 years, before she moved to Stars Hollow with a then three month old Rory), she was always shocked at the pure glamour of everything. She never felt that she belonged in the high society world her parents created for her family, and even now, at forty years old, married, pregnant with her second child, and no longer being forced to fit into that group, she still didn't feel right being around such high class staff and furniture. It just wasn't her culture.

Everyone sat down and began being served their dinner of steak with a salad and vegetables. It was quiet for a minute as everyone started eating, and then Emily spoke.

"I'm so glad you all could be here with me tonight. I needed some company desperately It's been so lonely and quiet without Richard around- there's no calls to discuss business at all hours, nobody to kiss me goodnight at night, nobody to order the maids around. I live in such a giant, fabulous home, and it feels so empty without him," she began getting choked up.

"Aw, Mom. I know it's hard, but when someone we love is in pain, sometimes the most compassionate thing we can do for them is set them free," Lorelai touched Emily's hand sympathetically (this was the main way she felt comfortable showing affection to her mother, and her mother to her).

"You're right," Emily was now dabbing her eyes with a tissue that a maid had offered her. "I just wish I could kiss him goodbye once more, or to a more extreme extent, that I could pass on before him as he once promised."

Rory turned to her grandmother and hugged her. She knew that this would be a hard adjustment for all of the people in her family, but also knew that the Gilmore women came from a long line of strong people, and they all could get through it together.

When the dinner was finished, everyone started helping out in preparing the various necessities and decorations for the funeral in the morning. As they worked, those in attendance Ed shared stories of Richard. Emily recounted the happy day that was their wedding. Lorelai shared a Christmas morning story that she held particularly close of building a snowman with her dad on the first Christmas snow in years. Rory offered the story of when she was fifteen and went golfing with her grandpa, unexpectedly loving the experience, the classiness which she was not used to, and the people she met. Telling all of these stories was a nice happy distraction from all the heartache.

Later on in the night, Emily was putting together a photo collage of pictures of her and Richard when they were young and first married, when Lorelai walked over. "Can you come with me for a minute, Mom? I have something to tell you. It's really important,"

"What is it, Lorelai?" Emily questioned, setting down the photo album that she was taking pictures out of. She followed her daughter up the stairs and into the hallway, the only place that wasn't bustling with maids making preparations for the service or cleaning up from the dinner.

"Well, Luke and I, you know we love each other like crazy, and we have for a long time. We're just about to celebrate our fifth anniversary on the third of December, and we figured, since I'm forty and he's forty-five, with us not getting any younger, if we wanted a child, now was the time to do it. We started trying in September, after Rory went back to London from her summer break here, and a few weeks ago, I started not feeling well," Lorelai recounted.

Emily gasped. "Are you saying what I think you're saying, Lorelai Victoria?

'Yes," Lorelai nodded. "Luke and I are having a baby,"

"Lorelai, do you know what you're getting yourself into? You're forty. Being pregnant at this age could be detrimental to your health,"

Lorelai sighed. She got the reaction she was expecting. "Yes, mom, what you say is true, but we really wanted this."

Emily sighed back. "Whatever you feel is best, I guess. I wish you the best and I'm excited to meet my new grandchild."

"Thanks, Mom. He or she is due in early June,"

Lorelai saw her mother back to the dining area, sure the maids needed bossing around, and then went up to her old bedroom. When she entered, memories filled her mind. She remembered hours of playing with her dolls and dollhouse here, tea parties with her friends from the private schools, and the freedom she felt walking out of this room for the last time to catch the bus to Stars Hollow to start her new life.

As Lorelai lay in her childhood bed, she realized all she truly wanted was in her life, except for one thing. She had an amazing husband, a daughter she viewed as her best friend, and soon, a new baby to love. The only thing missing was feeling accepted by her mother.

Rory was helping out downstairs, but went up in search of her mother once she had noticed her absence. She walked into the bedroom, noting Lorelai was tearful.

"What's wrong, Mom?" she asked, climbing onto the bed next to her mother.

"I just want to be accepted by Grandma, I admit, I've made mistakes, but I've moved past them and she should, too,"

Rory smoothed her mother's hair comfortingly. "I know. Never mind her remarks right now, I'm sure it's just because she's struggling. She's a good person at heart, I know that somewhere deep down she loves you,"

Lorelai smiled tiredly. "Once again, babe, you're the smartest girl I know," she hugged her daughter.

Around ten that night, everything had been prepared for the funeral, and by ten-fifteen, the Gilmore-Danes family was back at home. Rory was now preparing to go to bed in her old and cozy bedroom, when Lorelai walked in. She stood in the doorway.

"Well, tomorrow's the day we'll be saying goodbye to Grandpa," Lorelai said blankly. "All night, I've been trying to come up with something to say about him at the service, but nothing's coming to me,"

"Just speak from your heart, that's what he would've wanted," Rory advised. She finished putting on her pajamas and lied down in the bed.

"That sounds like a great idea," Lorelai responded. She walked over to Rory's bed. "Good night, little girl," she said. "Love you so much," and quietly walked out of the room after shutting the light off.

"Love you too, mom," Rory said back loud enough that her mother could hear, and then drifted off, thankful to be home with her family, where she most loved to be.


	3. In Memoriam

**Three**

 _In Memoriam_

Dark clouds loomed over the Gilmore mansion the next morning, November seventh. It was a Thursday, two weeks since Richard's death. Today he was being laid to rest. Walking up to her parents' home, Lorelai was somber. This was one of those days she always knew would come, but was never ready for. As much as the relationship she shared with her parents was strained, she had admired her father from a very young age. He was a very strong man, and she knew that he worked tirelessly to support her and her family.

Lorelai walked up to her parents' door. This was one of those days she always knew would happen, but was scared to face. Emily opened the door somberly. "Hello, everyone. Please come in,"

The Gilmore-Danes family entered the mansion, and for the first time since Richard's death, it was filled with people. People Richard knew from all sorts of places: his business partners, his golf buddies, even a few of his college classmates were in attendance. Luke, Lorelai, and Rory attempted to make chatter with them all, but secretly hoped they could just get to the service without much fuss.

After the brief cocktail social, the funeral gatherers headed to the church for the service. The old church was decorated with many pictures of Richard and some of the things he used most often, like his golf clubs, a few books, and some of his ties.

Lorelai and Luke, as well as Emily and Rory, were allowed to sit in the front rows of the church pews due to being Richard's closest family. After it was made sure that everyone was seated and in the right place, it was time for Emily to give the eulogy. She stood slowly and walked to the speaking podium, arranging her note papers carefully. With a deep breath, she began to speak.

"Hello and welcome, everyone. I'd like to thank you all for coming. Many of you know me, but for those that don't, I am Emily Gilmore, and I was blessed to be Richard's wife for the past sixty three years. I can say with a hundred percent certainty those were the best years of my life. We certainly had our ups and downs, even a short separation, but no matter what, something always led us back to each other in the end, and that was love," Emily started. She took a look at her note papers and continued. "Richard and I met when we twenty, in college, at a Yale party. He often said that he, 'loved me from first glance that night,' and knew we were going to get married, even though he was engaged to another women at the time. We started dating three months later, were engaged six months after, and were married two years later. Then, when I was twenty six, we had our beautiful Lorelai Victoria. We were in over our heads a bit with her when she was young, as she would act out and spill things on the beautiful clothes I had made for her. She's a little spitfire, but we love her," Emily glanced at Lorelai, who now had her arm around Rory.

"Richard was the hardest worker I ever knew. His businesses were his life, and there were many moments in our marriage where it was obvious he needed rest, but he would press on even through to the early morning to make sure a project was done or a correspondence with a partner was handled. Still, he found time for his hobbies, taking great pleasure in a good golf match or reading a good book. I will miss him every day of my life going forward, but I know he's in the best place now," Emily was now visibly emotional, and she stepped away from the podium and took her seat with her daughter, granddaughter, and son in law. Lorelai shifted closer to her and gave her a quick hug, before standing and walking to the podium to give her own remarks.

"Hello, everyone, I am Richard's daughter, Lorelai, and I am so glad you all could make it here today to be with us as we celebrate and honor the man that was my father. Even though our relationship was strained, he did his best to make me a priority and make me feel special in all the ways he knew how. He used to take me with him to the golf course and I'd get to drink a smoothie while he golfed and we talked, or he would take me with him to his office and I would draw him pictures while he had calls and projects," Lorelai recounted. "It wasn't huge lavish gestures, but small things that helped me know that I mattered to him, that meant the most," she smiled, looking up at the ceiling quickly. She hoped that somehow, some way, her dad was hearing her.

"When I had my daughter at 16, I remember not wanting my parents to be involved in her and my life much due to the tumultuous relationship I shared with them, but I soon realized that was a selfish way of thinking and allowed them to see her on holidays. Even though they were disappointed in me for getting pregnant so young, they loved her so much. And now, they're helping her achieve her dreams,"

'On the day my dad died, he told me that he was proud of the woman that I had become. For those of you that knew him, you know he wasn't the type to say those kinds of things often. That was the last thing he ever said to me, and he slipped away just over thirty minutes from that moment after falling peacefully asleep, holding my mother's hand.. No death is pretty, but my dad was the most dignified man I knew, and I like to think the way he died was the final way he wanted to show that. I will miss him so much," Lorelai thanked the audience and returned to her seat.

Rory was the last one to give remarks. She was nervous, and her hands were shaking as she went to the podium. She wasn't sure that she wanted to talk in front of so many people, but knew she would regret it later if she didn't.

"Mom," she mouthed once up at the podium. "I don't know if I can do this,"

Lorelai caught her gaze. "You got this, babe. I love you,"

Rory cleared her throat and looked down at her notes before beginning, "Hi, I'm Rory, Richard's one and only granddaughter. Grandpa was someone I looked up to from a very young age. I knew he was smart, and I knew I wanted to be smart, too. So I would ask him about the books he was reading and he would tell me about them in the easiest words he could, or, more recently, we would talk current events at our weekly Friday night dinners. That is one of the things I will miss the most,

"I would like to thank my grandparents for helping me achieve things I could never do alone, and for always being there for me the best they could. I love you both so much," Rory ended her short speech and returned to the pews, relieved it was over. Lorelai hugged her.

"I'm so proud of you," Lorelai said. "I know that wasn't easy,"

After Richard's graveside service and a dinner out with the guests, Lorelai, Luke, and Rory returned to the house. Rory was once again preparing to go bed, since she had had a long and tiring day. She had her phone in the bathroom with her and was listening to music while she was washing her face. Suddenly, it lit up with a text. She dried her face, and picked her phone up to read the message.

"Hey, Ace," the text read. "It's Logan,"

Rory gasped. She hadn't heard from Logan for about four years, when he sent her a birthday message for her twentieth. She texted back quickly, "Hey! Nice to hear from you- what's up?"

Logan responded, "Well, I'm in Connecticut for a while visiting, and I was wondering if you wanted to meet up for lunch,"

Rory thought to herself. Many years ago, she would've flinched at the thought of an ex wanting to see her again, but Logan was someone she really did love. She texted, "Sure, but please, not at Luke's. I don't want the whole town to know."

A few seconds later, Logan sent one final message. "I totally understand that. We'll meet at the Italian place in Hartford, that's far enough away. Meet me there at one tomorrow,"

Rory texted her agreement and then walked out of the bathroom. She lied down on her bed and turned off the bedside light after shouting goodnight to her mother. She had to get her beauty sleep, tomorrow was a big day.


End file.
